Multiple disconnectible clasp chiefly for necklaces and the like pieces of jewelry



April 932. J. BIENENFELD 1,853,111

MULTIPLE DISCONNECTIBLE CLASP .CHIEFLY FOR NECKLACES ANDTHE LIKE PIECES OF JEWELRY Filed Sept. 27, 1929 Jig]. J

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Patented Apr.- 12, 1932 UNITED.

JACQUES BIENENFELD, or, PARIS, FRANCE MULTIPLE DISGONN-EGTIBLE CLASP ,CHIEFLY ron NECKLAGESAND THE LIX-E means or JEWELRY Application filed September--27, 1929, Serial No. 395,550, an in France October 5, 1928.;

Aknown article of jewelry consists of a unit comprising a plurality of necklaces, ropes'so-called,'of pearls, precious stones and the like of equal or different lengths. kr Heretofore the several elements, that is, the individual necklaces or ropes, of the units were fastened together and interconnected by a single clasp the size of which was interchangeable and depended on the number of elements forming the unit.

My invention allows a certain number of different jewels to be obtained with the elements forming a single jewel, each of said 7, different jewels being constituted either by I one of the elementary strings or chains used alone, or by any arrangement of two or more of these elementary jewels.

The object of my invention is a clasp composed of a number of separable or elementary 1 clasps, so constructed that one'of the separable or elementary clasps may be vused separately to serve as a connecting means for a single necklace or rope or a double necklace or rope, or the single clasps may be assembled together to serve as connecting means for a.

larger number of necklaces or ropes.

Another object of my invention resides in the different forms of execution and in the means for securing the individual clasps to- In particular the complete or compound clasp may comprise individual clasps showing at each end the usual means for hooking on one or more jewel strings or rows, I these means comprising yielding spring catches. Means are also provided for de-- 'tachably engaging adjacent individual clasps.

For this purpose one of a pair of individual. clasps is provided with a yielding spring I catch controlled by thumb-pieces and adapted to enter a registering-recess in the other individual clasp of the pair. The last mentioned individualclasp is on the other hand provided with projections or dowels adapted to v V i enter recesses in the first mentioned individual clasp whereby the assembly is made very rigid. Y

My invention further comprises further additional means for maintaining rigidity of the assembly of individual clasps, said means comprising a spring inserted between two adjacent parts, for instance in the recess in.

one part and'adapted to eXerta thrust against thedowel projecting from the other part so a as to urge the individual clasps apart as soon suitably released 7 I I have shown in appended drawings and described hereinbelow by way of example, two forms ofexecution of'my invention:

as the I catch or the like connectingthem is Fig; *1 shows the inner side of a compound v clasp according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view-thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical-cross-section thereof along line BB of with the parts disengaged. j z I Fig. 4 isiaicross-section alongline' A -A of Fig.1 with thep'arts, disengaged.

I Fig 5 shows a modification in the clasp comprising 1 means for automatically separatingthe elementary clasps. I

Fig. 6 is an endview of the individual clasp shownv in the lower part ofFig. 5; f

Referring toithe drawings, the compound clasp comprises, as explained, a plurality'of separate disconnectib-le clasps 1, 2 adapted 7 to be connected'together and disconnected one from the other as desired. l :Eaoh part l, 2. comprises an individual clasp body with its usual necklacesecuring means such as rings 3 and catches 56,.said s0 rings 3 adapted to receive the ends of the necklaces,.ropes or the like, said'rin'gs being either single as for part 1 or double or multipleas for part2 (Fig: 1 f

The parts 1 and 2 are adapted to be disposed one against the other and engaged with and disengaged from one another; in View of this, one of the parts i2-forinstancehas a spring catch comprisinga hook 7 carried by a blade 8. provided with, ath'umb-piece 9 (Fig. 4) and projecting" beyond one of the sides 10 of the clasp; The individual clasp 1 shows on its side 11 adapted to contact with the side 10 of the claspQ, an aperture 12, the edge of which is adapted to be engaged by the hook 7 thus serving as an anchorage for the same; The part 1 is also provided on each sideof the said recess with dowels 13,14: posi tioned to-enter corresponding recesses 15,16 provided in part 2 perpendicularly to its side ioo or face 10. Since the hook is spring pressed by the blade 8 and sliding movement as between the clasp bodies 1 and 2 is prevented by the engagement of the dowels 13 and 14 with the recesses 15 and 16, the two clasp bodies may be firmly locked together.

In the modification illustrated in Fig. 5 the individual clasps are locked one to the other by means of a hook 17 controlled by the thumb-piece 18. In this instance the hook is mounted on a spring blade 1801 which is adapted to flex in a direction parallel to the surface of the part which carries it, or in other words in a direction at right angles to that of the hook and blade of the previous figure. The device of this figure is also provided with automatic disconnecting means comprising a spring 19 disposed in one of the recesses 15, 16 and compressed by a piston 19a when the two parts 1, 2 are locked together by the dowels 13 and 14 and the engagement of the hook 17. The spring 19 urges the dowel 14 out of the recess 19a as soon as the hook 17 is released whereby the 7 parts 1, 2 are automatically separated.

The working of my improved clasp is as follows: It is sufficient to engage the dowels 13, 14 in their recesses 15, 16 respectively to cause the hooks 7 or 17 to snap into engagement with the edges of the recesses in part 1. Conversely by pressing on the thumb-piece or the like provided on the hook, part 1 may be released from the said hook whereby the individual clasps together with the neck laces or ropes connected with them respectively are separated from each other.

The above forms of execution are obviously given only by way of example, the shape, material and size of the component parts and the detail arrangements being liable to change within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A compound clasp for use in fastening a variable number of necklaces, said compound clasp comprising a pair of individual clasps disposed side by side, means for en gaging the individual clasps with each other in the side by side position, and for disengaging them from each other, said means comprising a yielding hook mounted on one of said individual clasps and an anchorage for the hook on the other of said individual elasps', one of said individual clasps being provided with recesses in the side adapted to contact with the other individual clasp,

the said other individual clasp being provided with dowels adapted to enter the said recesses'.

2. Means for connecting the ends of a variable number of necklaces comprising a com-- pound clasp consisting of a pair of individual clasps retainedin contiguity side by side by releasable locking means, each of said individual clasps being provided with means to which an end of a necklace may be secured, 

